Revealed
by xo-little-lotte-xo
Summary: A failed rescue attempt to retrieve Daniel Jackson from a hostile planet ends in disaster and leaves one SG:1 member struggling to piece their life back together after enduring a horrendous trauma. Jack X Sam
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I own no rights to anything Stargate affiliated, though I really wish I did! Character's you don't recognize are most likely created by me. I have no set time for this fic, but I'm thinking about fifth or sixth season. You'll notice that I keep some characters and get rid of others as it suits me. But don't worry, nothing too dramatic ... to start off with anyway. I do have a tendency to kill off main characters. I also change certain aspects of people, such as their ranks. I really would like to know what you all think of this fic. It's my very first Stargate story, so I would appreciate some honest criticism. **

**One last thing, I rated this fic, as all my other fics have been rated, as M. I do this for the soul purpose that it gives me complete room to do whatever I want. I really hope to have the rating well earned by the end. But it doesn't apply just necessarily for romance, but also some graphic descriptions and implications. Be warned.**

**Well, without any further ado, I give you:**

**Revealed**

"Harriman, what's the status of SG:1?" General George Hammond's voice seemed to boom over the obnoxious wailing of the alert siren as he came quickly down the metal spiral stairs.

Before Chief Sergeant Walter Harriman had time to respond, the speaker cracked to life with the firm voice of Colonel Jack O'neill. "We're under fire! We were ambushed! Sending I.D.C. now."

"Affirmative, sir. Receiving Col. O'neill's I.D.C."

"Open the iris."

With a push of a button, the iris slid open and immediately the gate room lit up temporarily with a blast that reverberated through the complex and left a darkened mark high on the wall. Teal'c limped through moments later, supporting a battered looking Major Carter.

"Medical team to the Gate Room Stat!" Gen. Hammond barked into the microphone that would carry his voice over the speakers.

O'neill backed through the gate, still firing at unseen enemies. "Close the iris!" he commanded over his shoulder. Gen. Hammond nodded to Walter who was already moving to press the key that would close the protective barrier.

Gen. Hammond came through one door of the Gate Room as the Medical team came through the opposite way with a stretcher. Teal'c sat Carter gently down and stepped back to remove himself from being in the way.

"Col. O'neill, where's Doctor Jackson?"

"He was taken by the locals. There was no way to get to him without getting the rest of us killed." He sounded out of breath now that the adrenaline rush was over.

"Very well, Col. I trust your judgment. Get yourself taken care of and we'll debrief in an hour."

Jack watched the door close behind Gen. Hammond and turned to see Carter get wheeled out to the infirmary with Teal'c following closely, clutching his shoulder where a staff blast had grazed him. He had also been hit in the upper leg with some sort of stunner. Different than the Zats in that they seemed to isolate only where they hit on a person, rather then the entire body.

Carter had been knocked to the ground as the rock face that had been behind her exploded via some other weapon that the Krishtons had in their arsenal. A piece of flying rock had collided with her head, leaving her dazed and disorientated.

Daniel had been hit with the same thing as Teal'c, only he had been shot in the chest, leaving him completely incapacitated. He had tried to run after him, as he was being drug away, but they were being too heavily fired on. It was at that moment that Carter had been knocked down and he made the difficult decision to leave. They would form an immediate rescue party and get Daniel back. But first, he had to go to the infirmary and check on Carter and Teal'c.

"Hang in there, Daniel. We'll get you out of there," he promised to the giant ring that now sat silent and calm before turning and heavy-heartedly following the single remaining member of the emergency medical team back to the the infirmary.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Okay, I know the first chapter was short, but bear with me. I wrote it in about 30 minutes. Hopefully they will be longer from now on, though I will have a few shorter ones here and there. Mainly here. Haha. I promise as the story gets rolling the chapters will expand to accommodate the plot. Would love to hear everyone's feedback as the chapters develop!**

* * *

General Hammond leaned on the conference table with his arms, hands laced together together, as he looked at the three SG members in front of him.

"Colonel O'Neill, what happened? I thought the Krishtons were supposed to be peaceful traders?" He was clearly confused at how something could go so horribly wrong with a seemingly peaceful people.

"Well, sir," Jack said, casually leaning back in his chair with his arms folded across his chest. "It turns out they were traitors. Not traders."

Gen. Hammond's forehead pulled together as he looked at Jack as though he might need some extra time in the infirmary.

"What he means, General, is that the Krishtons lure people to their world with the promise of peaceful trading as a means to discover what that people is willing to offer. Then instead of establishing trading alliances, they ambush their would-be partners, steal their belongings and apparently take a hostage for negotiating further supplies." As always, Carter's account was precise and accurate. Though to Jack, much too boring of an account.

"And you believe that is why they kidnapped Dr. Jackson?" Gen. Hammond asked Major Carter, mulling everything over his head.

"Yes, sir. From their diverse weaponry, it appears that they do this with every nation they convince to trade with them. I think that it is their intention to capture one member of the trading party and drive the rest back to their home planet." Carter subconsciously touched the tender skin above her left eye where she had been hit. A bandage now covered where a deep, but fortunately nonthreatening, cut was left.

Finally, Teal'c spoke up, himself already showing signs of quickly healing. Even though he no longer carried a symbiote, he was still able to heal more rapidly than that of most humans with the use of tritonan. "I agree with Major Carter. If the Krishtons meant to kill us all, we would, in fact, be dead."

"The point is, sir," Jack interjected, mainly to save himself from listening to the two ramble on using words he still didn't care to understand after years of military training and school. "they have Daniel. Now I think if with SG's 3 and 5 covering our flanks, we can-"

"Hold on Col. I'm not authorizing any mission to that planet until I can be sure that they're not going to do the exact same thing all over again."

Jack was ready with his protest, as was Sam and Teal'c, but Gen. Hammond raised both hands to silence them before they could begin. "I'm not saying that we should just leave Dr. Jackson to the wolves, but if I'm going to be sending more men into hostile territory, I want to be damned sure that every single one of them come back alive."

Three sets of eyes lowered in response to General Hammond's admonishes. They all knew that in their zeal to rescue Daniel, that they would have been placing even more lives at risk.

"Sir," Major Carter spoke up, always the one thinking ahead. "if the Krishtons did capture Daniel as way of acquiring further supplies and weapons, I believe that they would be anticipating at the very least a retaliation. There's not much point of keeping a hostage if you don't get anything for them."

"What are you getting at Major Carter?" Gen. Hammond asked, always intrigued by what SG:1 could devise.

"Send us back to the planet with SG:2. We can go under the pretenses of a hostage negotiation and gain more understanding about the layout, see where they're keeping Daniel and from there organize a rescue strategy. It will give us a better understanding of what we're dealing with."

"Who's to say they won't take seeing the same people they fired on as a threat and attack? "

"Fine. Then send SG:2 alone. They may be trained in negotiation, but they are also trained officers. There's no reason why they can't gain the intel that we need." Col O'Niell was getting antsy. He was a man of action, not the kind of man that was okay with just sitting around while a member of his team was in enemy hands.

"I agree Col. Besides, I think that both Teal'c and Major Carter could use a few more days to recuperate."

Teal'c apparently took offense to someone thinking that he was not on the constant ready for a fight. "I require no more time to ... recuperate, Gen. Hammond. I feel as capable as a stringed wooden instrument."

All three turned to look at Teal'c, who maintained his normal, serious composure that it always took them a few moments to tell of Teal'c was actually attempting at making a joke.

Finally, Jack spoke up, sounding incredulous. "It's 'fit as a fiddle', Teal'c. And this is hardly the time to be making jokes."

Sam and Gen. Hammond both attempted to hide their smiles despite the situation. Teal'c merely raised both eyebrows and gave a small nod of his head.

"I'll notify SG:2 of their new assignment. Meanwhile, I think you all should get some rest and work off what you currently know of the surroundings to begin formulating a rescue strategy." Just like that, Gen. Hammond had everyone back on track.

"We will get Dr Jackson back," he said, looking each of them in the eyes to reassure them. "Dismissed."


	3. Chapter 3

"Sir, I'll be fine. There's no reason I shouldn't go along on this mission." Carter was adamant in her arguing with Col. O'Neill as they walked through the tunnels buried deep beneath Cheyenne Mountain.

Jack was concerned that Carter's head wound from the previous trip would weaken her for the rescue mission. Naturally, Sam vehemently, but respectfully, disagreed.

"Sir, it's been a full week since the attack by the Krishtons. I feel fine and I was given a complete medical release by the doctors." Carter grasped Jack's arm, stopping him from both walking and ignoring her. "I've had it worse than this before and it didn't stop me. I'm a soldier. I can't just sit back while Daniel is being held prisoner."

She immediately stopped and took a step back to let two airmen walk by, lost in their own conversation about some reality television show, then turned back to Jack. "What's your real reason for not wanting me to go?" It was incredible in just how with a look of the eyes, ranks temporarily vanished.

Jack sighed, knowing he'd been found out. He couldn't use his excuse of Carter's injury any more as he'd hoped. "Look," he finally said, looking at the face of the woman he'd been avoiding for the last few days. "it's stupid. I had a dream and it's been nagging at me since we got back."

"A dream? You don't want me to go because you had a dream? Sir, that's hardly reason to keep me behind." Carter wasn't sure if she should be upset that Jack would think of her as so fragile, or if she should be flattered that he was so concerned for her. The soldier in her was winning and she became enraged at being treated like a child.

"That is completely unfounded. I am more capable for this mission than any other man with or without an injury and you know it."

"Relax Captain. I've been over-ruled by Gen Hammond anyway. I can't even keep you off this mission with legitimate excuses."

"Forgive me for speaking out of line, Sir, but you didn't hardly blink an eyelash at Teal'c going and he was wounded too. For that matter, you wouldn't have had a problem if it was anyone else. If I were a man we wouldn't even be having this conversation. You know, just because my-"

"Carter," Jack interrupted her with a raised hand. "I am well aware of the location of your reproductive organs and that's not the reason I think you should stay behind and rest."

"Then what is the reason, Sir?" Carter regretted asked the question before she even finished speaking. They both knew the reason all too well. But there it was. The question had been asked and judging by the expression on Jack's face, he regretted her asking it too.

They stared at each other a while, ignoring a technician with a toolbox walking by.

Jack leaned in close enough for her to smell that masculine scent of his cologne. She loved that smell. "I don't want to see you get hurt. That goes for anyone on my team, Carter, not just you. Maybe you shouldn't concentrate so much on your gender, Captain. No one else does." His words stung more than he'd meant, but so had her question. He turned and walked away, leaving her behind with her mouth agape. She had been striving for an equal playing field between the men and women serving together, but the complete desexualization of herself from one of the only people who finally treated her like a soldier and didn't let her gender stop her from fighting was such a harsh blow that her eyes briefly stung of tears that she immediately bit back. She knew it was more than that. She wanted Jack to see her as a woman. A woman capable of fighting and holding her own. She didn't mind other men thinking of her as one of the guys, but not Jack. In her mind, the one man she wanted to see her as a woman, just told her he didn't think of her as one.

* * *

General Hammond gave SG 1, 3 and 4 a last brief re-cap, as it were, of their mission before departing.

"Since SG: 2's successful return two days ago, we have put together an offering of sorts to appease the Krishtons. As per the 'agreement' laid forth by SG: 2 and the Krishons, we are going to supply the Krishtons with enough food to last them our equivalent of 2 years. Apparently, the Krishtons were quite fascinated by the rations they found in Dr Jackson's possession. Your mission is to deliver this container to the Krishtons and recover Dr. Jackson. Remember, according to SG:2, there seems to be some discord among the hierarchy, so don't do anything that could provoke an uprising of any kind. Your only object is to rescue Dr. Jackson. Good luck teams."

Jack gave one nod and the three remaining members of SG:1 led the way through the gate. It took six men from SG:3 to carry the military container up the ramp and through the gate. Flanked by the other members of SG:4, who had been added as an extra precaution.

Once through the gate and dematerializing on the other side, the teams were met by a small delegate of Krishtons. Too small. And Daniel wasn't with them. Jack's senses were automatically on alert for any hiding threats.

"Alright," he called to the small contingent. "we've held up our end of this little bargain. Where's Dr Jackson?"

"He is inside," said the leader, motioning to a large stone structure, reminiscent of a dark age castle, sitting on top of a hill. He was a smaller man, with a slightly protruding belly. Odd considering that according to the report by SG:2 these people were unable to produce any resources of their own and had to barter prisoners for food.

"Well get him outside," Jack said, more than a little impatient to get this over with.

The leader looked at them under the hood of his long moss-green cloak. "You will bring the offering inside to be inspected. When we are satisfied that you have kept your word, we will return your friend to you."

Jack sighed and muttered under his breath. "For crying out loud. Fine. SG:4, stay behind and guard our sixes." He nodded towards SG:3, who hoisted the container of food and followed behind Jack, Teal'c and Sam up the hill.

The climb didn't take very long, but Jack's feet felt heavier with every step. He couldn't shake the feeling of an impeding problem. He looked at Sam, who just turned her head away under the premise of surveying the surrounding area. But he knew that she was still mad at him. She wouldn't let it affect her mission, but she certainly wasn't going to show him anything more than he deserved for his comment.

As soon as they stepped onto the stones, the leader looked back over his shoulder. "A little further. Just inside here," he said with a deranged smile.

Both teams followed behind, all on high alert for any signs of treachery. None seemed to be evident, but ever trained soldier knew that was not necessarily an indication of safety. They turned a corner, then another and still another. It was almost like a stone maze. It became darker the further they walked, as there were no windows or holes to allow any light. They rounded one more corner and entered a large room. There was a foul smell that instantly assaulted them. Jack visibly winced at the onslaught of the putrid stink. Sam covered her mouth and nose with her free hand. The other still securely holding her gun.

The only light was the small amount of light that managed to filter through from the outside. It was barely enough for the SG:3 members to see Jack hold up his hand to halt them. The small group of Krishtons were no where to be seen.

"Alright everyone," Jack called to his group. "heads up. I don't like the feel of this."

"I'm disappointed Col. O'Niell." A distorted voice called. "We tried so hard to make you feel welcomed." They all raised weapons and focused on the sound. From out of the blackness, the source of the voice revealed itself in the form of glowing eyes and a leering smile.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Sorry I haven't updated in a while. I have this weird thing where I like to be watching TV when I write. Don't ask me why, but I write better that way. Anywho, I don't have a working television set right now, so ergo, no writing lately. But I'm at my sister's now and enjoying all the wonders of cable. **

**I really enjoy hearing from all of you. It really makes my day and makes me feel great about writing.**

"Jaffa," said the sadistically evil voice and instantly primitive torches all along the room's walls flashed to life with an eerie glow, casting the room into twisting shadows.

All human eyes were riveted to the being before them. The Goa'uld was ... beautiful. Beyond beautiful. She wore a deep, royal blue gown with pale yellow trim reminiscent of the days of the renaissance. Her skin was a perfectly flawless golden tan, the flames dancing on her skin and in her eyes. When they weren't glowing, they were an unnatural blue. Very close to the color of her dress.

"Well, hello," Jack said to the unknown instigator. "I don't believe we've met. But of course, you already know who we are..."

"Yes," she said, her voice retaining its unworldly sound. "I know very well who you are."

"And yet, wouldn't you know it, but I don't have the slightest idea who _you_ are. I guess we just run into too many folks with glowey eyes that it's just not so special any more."

Anger, mixed with hatred, flitted across the parasite's disturbingly gorgeous face at being talked to with such irreverence. She was used to being treated like the goddess she was. "I am Ammit," she said raising both her arms, the floor length sleeves of her dress cascading down and giving her an ethereal appearance.

"Ammit? No offense, but isn't that a tad ... masculine of a name?" Jack asked cynically. "How about Amanda? That's a fem-"

Jack's sentence was cut off when Ammit dropped one arm and lifted the other in the SG teams' direction, a Goa'uld hand device shot energy at Jack, propelling him across the small room and into the wall behind him. The remaining team members were hit with the side of the wave and knocked to the ground.

Carter was the first one up and at Jack's side, while Teal'c was busy pointing his staff weapon at the beautiful devil. Her personal guard of Jaffa, nearly surrounding the two SG teams, all zeroed in on Teal'c in a mini standoff.

"Sir, are you alright?" Carter asked, watching the colonial closely. She was in military mode now, their little spat currently forgotten.

"You know, no matter how many times that happens, it never feels good," he said with a groan.

Carter continued to study him. "I'm fine, Major." he said, getting to his feet. "Teal'c, stand down."

Teal'c reluctantly obeyed, bringing his staff weapon to his side as the Jaffa moved in to remove all their guns. Teal'c held on to his staff just a moment long enough that the Jaffa reaching for it was forced to look up at him. "You are better than this Tranek," he said to the younger soldier. "You served under me for many years, learned many things, do you not yet know anything?" Teal'c asked.

"I learn from a different instructor now, _teacher_," Tranek growled. "One that will not abandon his people."

There was nothing more that Teal'c could say to his formal pupil while in the presence of everyone else. He released his grip on the weapon and stood with the rest of the teams.

"Very wise, Col. O'Niell," Ammit said with a sneer as she gleefully witnessed her master's enemies surrender to her, "Though, I must admit that I expected your defeat to be slightly more difficult."

"You caught us on an off day. What do you say we try it all again and we'll promise to make it harder on you?" Jack suggested, continuing to imply with his tone that he saw the Goa'uld as anything but gods.

The SG teams exchanged looks, all knowing what was coming and yet none willing to ever give up.

"Come. I'm sure you are anxious to see your friend," Ammit said as she turned and walked down a second hallway. Two Jaffa walked in front of her bearing torches, while two more walked behind her, insuring that none of the SG members would try to attack her. The other remaining Jaffa followed the disarmed military down the dark hallways. SG:3 still hauling the container of food rations.

One hallway lead to another and opened into a small room that was connected to a larger room and so on and on until they were so turned around they wouldn't have been able to find their way out if they were set free and given all the time in the world to make it back to the Stargate.

At some point during their labyrinth tour, Ammit disappeared, presumably through another passage that remained hidden in the shadows, the torch light unable to fully penetrate the darkness.

Finally, when they were bordering on nausea, a shaft of light directly ahead of them became visible.

"Oh look," Jack said disinterestedly. "There is light at the end of the tunnel."

When they entered the large cavernous room where the light was emanating from, it was a tad disorientating. It appeared to have once been a great hall of worship. Beautiful and ancient tapestries hung from the wall, showing signs of neglect. There was an alter of sorts at the far end of the cavern, but that isn't what caught the immediate attention of anyone who entered the room. It was the large, metal cages that were rudely constructed in the center of the cavern. They were so unnatural in the once holy ground. The twisting metal bars looked so unlike the soft sand color of the stone walls that it gave the illusion that the metal was somehow devouring the very temple it was built in.

The large amount of the prisons suggested that they were expecting more than just SG 1 and 3. It looked as though they had been prepared for a full scale retaliation on the part of Earth. Jack was beginning to regret that that wasn't the route the SG had taken.

They opened one of the smaller of the prisons and forced Carter, Teal'c and O'Niell in while making the members of SG:3 leave their container and enter an opposing larger cell.

"Hey Jack. What are you guys doing here?" A voice from the corner of the cell called.

"We're here to rescue you," Jack said standing in the middle of the prison and surveying his surroundings.

"Great job." Daniel said with a weary smile.

"Yeah, well, for some reason we tried diplomacy and the shocker of whole thing is that it didn't work."

"It would have, but unfortunately, we weren't the only ones to stumble on to this world recently. Apparently, this was one of one Apophis' planets, so naturally, Anubis stepped in to claim it for his own. Turns out the Goa'uld have more interesting things to offer the Krishtons than freeze dried chicken."

"Dr Jackson, are you injured?" Teal'c asked, walking over to Daniel and helping him to his feet.

"I'm fine. Thanks Teal'c." Daniel said, though he couldn't hide the wince as he stood up.

"That cut above your eye would say otherwise," Carter pointed out, pulling out some first aid items from one of her vest pockets, automatically going to work on getting his cut cleaned and dressed. "Doc Fraiser will need to take a better look at that when we get you back, but you should be fine for right now, at least," She said, taping a piece of gauze to his forehead.

"Speaking of getting home..." Daniel pointed out, reminding them all of their current predicament. "Shouldn't you be on _that _side of the bars for a rescue?"

"Now Daniel, we wanted to liven things up a bit. The old rescue and retrieve standard operation was getting just a little old. We like to challenge ourselves. Keeps us young," Jack said, not surprising anyone with his light hearted comments on a potentially deadly matter.

"And I'm sure Ammit had nothing to do with it."

"Absolutely nothing. Who is she anyway?"

"Ammit, spelled with an e, i or u.." Daniel began, reciting information like a walking encyclopedia on Egyptian mythology. "She's a minor goddess, served in the court of Osiris. She was the punisher of the wicked. If souls were found to be more evil than good, Anubis would feed them to her, thereby completely annihilating them and any hope for an after life."

"Excuse me, did you say _feed them_ to her?" Jack asked, always impressed with Daniel's knowledge but more concerned with what he was saying and not how he knew it.

"Yes. She was known as The Devourer, or the Eater of the Dead."

"How appropriate," Jack muttered under his breath.

"Daniel," Carter spoke up, her mind constantly planning. "is there anything else you can tell us? Anything that might give us something to use against her?"

"She was depicted as having the head of a crocodile..." Daniel offered with a small smile, knowing that information was useless.

"Well that's good. Maybe we can bring in Steve Irwin to see if he can wrangle her," Jack said, making just as useless of a statement.

All three SG:1 members looked at him quizzically.

"Aww, c'mon guys. Steve Irwin, the Crocodile Hunter. Australian guy goes around and trying to piss off dangerous animals."

The three continued to stare. He pointed his finger at them. "You all need to watch more TV. It's a great show."

"Look, sir, no offense to the Discovery Channel, but shouldn't we be concentrating more on how to get out of here?" Carter knew that Jack put the members of his team first at all times, but she had an extremely bad feeling about this one.

"I can assure you, there is no escape from this one," Ammit said, making her grand entrance.

"Ah, speaking of our hostess..." Jack turned with the rest of them to watch the Angel of Doom strut towards them like a runway model from Hell.

**Just had to give a little shout out to Steve Irwin. I always wanted to put him somewhere in my stories. I think they would have put him in the script if there wasn't a conflict of channels and sponsors and all that jazz. And yes, the name Amanda was intentional. :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I'm sooooo sorry I haven't updated this sooner! I really do apologize. My life has been a little insane right now. I said in the last chapter that I really write my best when I am watching TV, well, sadly, my TV hasn't worked ... ever, actually. And my Internet has been sketchy at best so it makes researching a little difficult. I only have season one on DVD, so I'm trying run mostly off of memory here. **

**School starts up again for me next week, so I know my free time to write will go down hill even more, so I'll apologize again in advance, but I'll try to keep this updated as much as possible. If anyone wants to buy me a TV or pay for my college tuition though, I'd be happy to update every day! Haha**

"Alright, let's get down to business, shall we?" Jack asked Ammit as she stopped in front of their cells with her arms crossed and eyes glowing for effect. "What do you want?"

Ammit looked surprised. "What makes you think that I want anything to do with you?" she asked coldly with an arched eyebrow.

Jack looked at her for a moment in silence, before gesturing to the prison bars. "Oh, I don't know, maybe because you have us up locked up like inmates? That was my second clue actually. The first was the armed guard of Jaffa that brought us here. But hey! if there's nothing that you want with us, how about we call this one a truce and let us go?"

Ammit smiled like a she-devil. "Just because I personally don't care whether you live or die, doesn't mean that I'm not in it to gain incredible wealth; not to mention, of course, standing with Anubis."

"Oh, of course," Jack added, more for something to say than anything else. Just to show he wasn't about to be bullied.

"I would gladly ship you off like the animals you are and be rid of you forever. But," she prowled in front of the prison bars like a tiger waiting for her prey to make the slightest move so she could pounce.

"I need some information from you first."

"Now why would we want help you?" Carter asked, speaking to Ammit for the first time.

Ammit shrugged, somehow making the small gesture elegant. She looked over Carter with a critical eye, as though sizing her up. "Because I have the power to make your life either a living hell, or semi comfortable."

"You mean until Anubis kills us." Jack crossed his arms over his chest.

"Yes. But just consider how you would like to spend your last days." Ammit walked over to the other cell where SG:3 and 4 were being held. She looked at each of them individually as if they were no more than flies caught in a spider's web. When Jack only huffed in response, she turned back to look at him with a wicked smile. "At least think about your comrade's lives if you don't care about your own. Anubis only wants the infamous SG:1. Give me the information that I want and I'll consider releasing your friends."

Jack stopped to stare hard at Ammit.

"Go to hell you crazy bitch," Lt. Col. Bennett shouted at the Go'ould. Jack liked him, he reminded him of himself. That was one of the reasons he recommended him to lead SG:5. Jack knew already that not a single soldier would give up information or be traded for it, but the cursing was still somehow comforting in letting him know that his men were behind him.

He kept getting that nagging sensation that something seriously wrong - okay, something _else_ seriously wrong - was going to happen. It happened in his dream too. It was ridiculous to base anything off a dream, but he couldn't ignore it.

"Don't be ridiculous, Col," Ammit said again, her facade of disinterest was betrayed by the hopeful lilt to her voice. "You will not receive such an offer from Anubis."

"What do you want?" Jack asked, figuring that at least knowing what it was that Ammit was after would be worth knowing. Maybe they could give her trap her with false information. Anything was possible.

"I wish to know where the new Tok'ra hiding is. I have some old debts that need to be repaid."

"The who?" Jack asked, doing a terrible job at playing dumb.

Ammit wasn't amused. "I'll give you some time to think it over, when I come back, I want the location, or there will be dire consequences." She looked strangely at Carter, almost longingly, like the tiger watched as her prey escaped.

Jack mocked her all the way out of the large room, but as soon as she was out of sight he was all seriousness again. He turned back towards the rest of SG:1. "Well team, any ideas?"

He sighed as they all shook their heads. This was definitely going to be a difficult escape.

"Hey Teal'c," Carter asked her Go'ould carrying comrade, "the Jaffa you were talking to before in the hallway. Who was he?"

"His name is Tran'ek. He was under my command when I was First Prime of Apophis. I trained him and a small group of other Jaffa who would eventually serve in the personal guard of Apophis."

"I don't imagine your trainees were very happy about you leaving them to join the enemy," Daniel said, pressing his fingers against the bandage on his forehead, wincing when he felt how swollen it was.

"Indeed. Many of the Jaffa I was in service with feel betrayed. I do not blame them."

"But Teal'c, you said that you trained Tran'ek to be in the personal guard to Apophis. Wouldn't Anubis just keep him in the personal guard?" Carter asked, trying to better understand.

"Anubis would already have a personal guard in place. He would pick the strongest and most able Jaffa, even if that meant his former rival's guard. But he would wait for the Jaffa to prove himself and his loyalty to his new _god_," Teal'c said the last word with tangible distaste, clearly still revolted by the idea that he had once been so blind as to believe that Apophis could be anything more than a parasite.

Carter was beginning to understand, but still wasn't sure if this information could help them. "So, this mission with Ammit could be Tran'ek's right of passage into the personal guard of Anubis then?"

"It is possible," Teal'c said, raising an eyebrow at Carter. All waiting anxiously to see what Carter would think of, but she remained silent, her eyes dilated and fixed on some point far away.

Jack was the first one to break the silence that had descended on the doomed group. "Where are you going with this, Major?"

"I don't know yet, sir," Carter confessed, still thinking. "I was trying to figure out a way to use any influence Teal'c possibly had over Tran'ek to our advantage. Maybe convince him of what they're doing is wrong somehow."

Teal'c thought about this a moment, as did all the others. "But to a Jaffa, Major Carter, what they are doing is not only right, it is their sworn duty. All Jaffa are trained to not question their orders. It would take something of extreme proportions to convince Tran'ek."

"Something worse than our getting killed?" Daniel asked, still unable to see past how anyone could completely disregard human lives.

"Yes." Teal'c's answer didn't leave the team in very high spirits. What could be worse than being tortured to death? Though he didn't dare speak his thoughts out loud, Jack knew of only one rival to that idea and the thought sent an unnatural chill down to his core.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I'd like to first off apologize … again … for the long wait. I've got a couple books I'm writing as well as a few other fan fictions. My computer crashed a while back and I've gotten a new one and had problems with that too. I think I've got everything fixed now, but you never know.**

**I'd also like to make a correction to the previous chapter. It said that Jack recommended Lt. Col. Bennet to lead SG:5 and I cut SG:5 from the story a while back and forgot about that part. So… we'll just have to pretend that Bennett got an upgrade to SG:4 instead. Okies?**

**I'm sure there's other mistakes in there too, but bear with me. I'm a busy girl and sometimes things slip.**

* * *

Ammit left them alone for quite some time, no doubt contacting Anubis to inform him of her progress. All three SG teams tried in vain to think of any way to escape.

Jack knew that General Hammond would have already sent another probe through to see why they missed their schedule check in. He just prayed that more troops hadn't been sent into a trap.

They got a minor break when the guards changed and Tran'ek happened to be one of the replacement guards. Teal'c tried in vain to persuade his former student that he could be a free jaffa. He spoke of the blindness of following false gods and what a life of freedom could mean. No more slavery. No more being treated like cattle. But try as he might, Tran'ek would not head Teal'c words. Tran'ek's sister had been chosen by a lower Go'ould as a bride – one of several . She had not wanted to be his bride. It was Tran'ek who convinced her to accept; forced her to accept. To admit that the being he forced his sister to marry was nothing more than a parasitic imposter would be a shame that he could not handle. But Teal'c's words had stirred something in Tran'ek, even if it did not appear so.

They had all resigned themselves to sitting and contemplating escape attempts that would never work. Carter especially tried to find a way, but to no avail. Eventually, she stopped saying her ideas out loud. They were all weary and trying to ignore the hunger that had set in hours before.

When Ammit finally returned it was almost a relief. It meant the possibility of an escape, even if a plan hadn't been formed.

"Well, Col. O'Neill, are you ready to tell me where the Tok'ra are hiding?"

"Umm, no. But hey, I can tell you somewhere else to go."

With a nod to a jaffa, the door to the adjoining cell was opened and a soldier was grabbed at random. It was Lieutenant Davidson. He had been with the SGC for two years, just recently he found out his wife was pregnant with their first child. Jack's gut instantly tightened.

Ammit smiled at SG:1. "I won't ask you again. Where are the Tok'ra?"

"You know, they forgot to sent me their change of address notice this time around. All the mail I sent them keeps getting returned too. Wish I could help you out."

Ammit held out her manicured hand to the jaffa who immediately handed her his staff weapon. With zero apparent feeling, she fired a single blast into Lt. Davidson's thigh. He went down with a guttural scream. Blood seeped between his fingers, clasped tightly around the gaping wound.

"Now it's up to you, Col. O'Neill. Will you let your comrade bleed to death or provide me with the information I need? The choice is yours, but I'd make it fast."

She turned to leave, slowly strutting from the room with confidence.

To say that Jack was fighting with himself would be a most incredible understatement. A faint picture of a woman filled his mind. He had only met her once, but he remembered enough of her shoulder-length blond hair and beautiful smile. He could not face her for a second time to tell her that her husband and father of her unborn child had died right in front of him. Ammit wouldn't stop there though. Once he finished telling Davidson's wife, he would have to go to the next wife and the next and the next, telling them all the same things: Their husband died bravely in the line of duty. He was a true soldier and would be greatly missed. He would attend each of their funerals, handing the new widow the folded triangle that stood as a symbol for what their loved one had died for. He would have to answer for the tears wept by the children that would never again throw a baseball with their father.

"If I tell you what you want to know, you'll my teams leave unharmed?"

Jack ignored the enigmatic pleas from everyone. The unclear picture of his wife flashed in his mind again but as it became clearer, it wasn't Davidson's wife that he saw, it was … Carter. Not the crying wife at the door, but the forever frozen picture of her in her uniform, the frame of her picture encircled with a wreath of flowers. Nearby, a dark mahogany casket with an American flag draped over it. He shook his head hard. It was just like his dream.

"Fine! I'll tell you!" He shouted to Ammit's retreating figure. "Let my men go and I swear I'll give you the gate address.

Ammit considered it a moment. "Fine. Release the others and escort them. Do not take your staff weapons off them until they are fully through." She turned back to Jack, "If you attempt to deceive me, I will have all your men killed before they know why their commanding officer betrayed them."

Jack nodded, all sarcasm and humor gone completely. He would not stand by while his men were killed when, in all likelihood, they would find ways to make one of them talk.

Jack turned back to his team for a brief moment. Daniel put his hand on Jack's shoulder and pressed a small, round object discreetly into his palm. "You're doing the right thing, Jack," he said in encouragement, loud enough for Ammit to hear. Without missing a beat Jack turned and held out his empty palm to Lt. Col. Bennett. He shook it and with an exchange that would make Houdini proud, he passed the grenade off. Bennett nodded ever so slightly. It was a long shot, but Jack trusted him to know when – or even if – it was possible to use it.

Two other soldiers grabbed the moaning Lt. Davidson, now beginning to struggle with consciousness up and out with a dozen or two armed jaffa ready to fire at a moment's notice.

SG:1 knew as they watched the other two teams file out that they might never see them again, but at least they would be able to get to Earth and let them know what happened.

Jack gave Ammit the address and with a sly grin she sauntered off to verify the information.

Jaffa came in shortly with a minor amount of disgusting food. They hated it, but knew that they needed any strength that the sustenance could give them.

"Get comfortable," Tran'ek advised. "It will be a few days before Anubis arrives."


End file.
